


When Troys Collide

by MalcolmsTrashBin



Category: Fire Emblem: Kakusei | Fire Emblem: Awakening, Kipo and the Age of Wonderbeasts (Cartoon), Marvel, Stranger Things (TV 2016), The Owl House (Cartoon)
Genre: Manipulation, Multi, Multiverse, Nonbinary Character, Reality Bending, Swearing, Trans Male Character, Violence
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-09-10
Updated: 2020-10-07
Packaged: 2021-03-06 18:28:05
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 4
Words: 5,169
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26393386
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MalcolmsTrashBin/pseuds/MalcolmsTrashBin
Summary: Five pieces stretched across five worlds. All different, yet all the same. So far apart, but inextricably linked. The same demon chases all of them, and they all stand against it. The Anomaly will come for the Bruiser. The Anomaly will come for the Blademaster. The Anomaly will come for the Shepherd. The Anomaly will come for the Reptile. The Anomaly will come for the Summoner. They refuse their fate.
Relationships: Amity Blight/Luz Noceda, Edric Blight/Original Character(s), My Unit | Reflet | Robin/Tiamo | Cordelia
Comments: 2
Kudos: 9





	1. Prologue

**Author's Note:**

> I had a realization recently that I have five OCs that all have the same name and similar personalities, so I figured instead of the easy path of making them different, I'd go in the complete opposite direction and write a whole story around that concept. You don't need to know a whole lot about any of these properties to enjoy this story. All five main characters are named Troy and are called such by people in their respective universes, but between each other they go by the nicknames in the description.

Universes upon universes whirled, rushing, rotating, revolving. The being stood amongst them, ever changing, ever waiting, ever watching. But for what? Only they knew.

There. They snatched one from the maelstrom and brought it closer. A wasteland filled with monsters, from the smallest insect to gargantuan apes. A world of humans fighting these beasts to survive. A world unprotected from what they would bring. A world unknowing of what await them. It was but one of millions, but it was all they needed. Just pull a single thread, and everything comes undone. The inhabitants thought they knew fear, thought they knew danger, thought they knew hell. The being grinned. They would show them what true hell was. They would take back the piece of them that world had stolen.

Their eyes flitted about, snapping from universe to universe. An insignificant town with an interdimensional megalomaniac -other than the being themself- threatening to break in. Two warring continents, one side fought by a militia of the finest soldiers either land had ever seen, ones who had bested foes both living and undead. An archipelago formed on the remains of a titan so potent that the land itself exuded magical energy. A universe of both devastating magic and technology, with empires spanning entire galaxies.

The being grinned wider. These five worlds were the ones they sought. The ones that would make them whole. They would become one with their fractured selves. They would gain ultimate power.

The Anomaly would erase everything.


	2. Shifting

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Blademaster feels the influence. The Anomaly nears closer. An interloper draws them apart.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This one went through some changes as I wrote it. I experimented a bit with this chapter so bear with me.

**New York City, 2020**

Troy Daniels sidestepped the man's fist and grabbed his arm, twisting it around his back and driving him against the wall. They grabbed him by the neck of his shirt and threw him against a nearby skip, smashing their boot against the thug's face.

Troy took a step back and looked around, admiring their handiwork. There were two other men laying behind them. They were beaten similarly as the one Troy just finished, and they dragged him over and added him to the pile. They dusted themself off and started walking out of the alley, when suddenly something rammed into them from behind.

Troy fell to the ground, trying to scramble away. They rolled over to face their assailant, a colossus of a man, larger than the other three and much larger than Troy.

 _Didn’t know they grew them that big,_ they thought snidely.

Troy's mind raced with solutions, they knew this wasn't a challenge they could face head on. The man began stomping towards them, so they decided to improvise.

Troy jumped to their feet, pulling out a knife that was hidden in their boot. They charged the giant, ducking to the left under his arm as he tried to grab them. They climbed up on the skip and jumped towards the man, deftly twirling their knife. They only had one shot at this, but they couldn't think of anything else.

Troy grabbed around the man's neck, holding on for dear life as the gigantic thug thrashed. They dug their knife into his throat, dragging it lengthwise. The man's desperate flailing stopped, as did the gurgling. Troy dropped down and dove away just as he teetered to the ground.

They pulled the knife from his neck, but as they were cleaning the blood from it and the adrenaline went away, they were struck by what just happened. Troy knew the huge hoodlum would not have hesitated to crush their skull given the chance, but they still got the same gut-churning feeling whenever they killed someone, no matter the reason.

They felt the bile rising in their throat and tried to shake these thoughts off. What was done was done, no use dwelling on the past.

Despite its small size, the knife clutched in their hands felt heavy, and they briefly debated tossing it away. They had plenty of knives, what harm was losing just one? However, there was nothing wrong with the blade itself. It could cut a man's throat cleanly, what more did they need out of it?

But as they began walking away, their thoughts wouldn't forgive them for daring to consider ditching such a well-worn knife.

_What if you forgot you threw it out?_

_What if you thought someone got a hold of it?_

_What if they found it buried in some asshole's neck and gave it to the cops?_

_What if they're on the way right now to lock your ass up just as easily as you threw away one of the only friends you have in this world you fucking mons-_

Troy stopped walking. They leant against the wall, trying to catch their breath. They remembered the technique.

_In for four seconds, hold for seven, out for eight. In for four, hold for seven, out for eight._

They repeated the exercise a few more times, and considered how ridiculous they must've looked. They had just killed a man and brutalized three others, but were beating themself up over a simple knife.

Troy chuckled dryly. They started walking again, when a quiet _splash_ stopped them once more. They looked at their feet in confusion. There were small puddles of blood, and they watched another fall away from their face towards the ground.

A nosebleed wasn't uncommon for them, but this one was unprompted. They went to pinch their nose shut, but let out a short gasp when their hands were sickeningly pale.

They closed their eyes for a moment, thinking they were imagining it, only to find that their skin had now gone a pastel blue.

Their head was pounding. Their nose dripped blood like a leaky faucet. They fell to the ground and vomited. They lay on their side, eyes tightly shut and knees to their chest.

They didn't know how long they stayed like that. Hours? Days? Perhaps just a few minutes. A sudden _whoosh_ and a flash of light caught their attention. When they looked up, they weren't sure what they were seeing was real.

A bright yellow semicircle stood before them. A black and silver haired man with blue robes and a burgundy cape stepped from it.

"You're Troy Daniels?" The man asked, so curtly it seemed like more of a statement than a question.

Troy was thrown, unsure of how to answer. After a moment, they managed a very hoarse, "Um… Yes?"

"Get up. I need you to come with me." The man turned on his heel back towards the portal.

Troy struggled to their feet, almost groaning in relief to see their skin was its normal tanned tone. They looked back to the man, calling out, "Wait, who are you? And how do you know who I am?"

The man didn't break stride as he spoke. "Doctor Stephen Strange. I'll explain later."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This originally wasn't going to have the anxiety attack and assorted weird shit right before Doctor Strange showed up, but as I was writing it I decided it worked better with that and had it end on a cliffhanger. My original idea was a big exposition dump and then a stupid line that wasn't really a joke, but I figured that was too close to the actual Marvel films, which is the last thing I want. As always, feedback is appreciated, especially on the fights cuz I don't have much experience writing proper action, and I want to know if it's too much or not enough. No clue when the next chapter will be done, I haven't decided who it will be about yet even. Anyway, thanks for reading, cheers.


	3. Premonition

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Filthy words, filthy lies. The eye of the creator sees all. Can a lover's touch clean one's tongue?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Finally done. Sorry about the wait, the next chapter won't take almost a goddamn month, so don't worry.

**Shepherd's Camp, Valm**

Troy jolted awake. They untangled themself from their blanket and looked around. The sun had not yet risen. Despite the darkness, they could tell they were still in their tent and still at camp. Still at war.

Troy found themself strangely comforted by that, if only because it was familiar. They had been at war as long as they could remember. Granted that was only two years, but two different wars with two different nations in the span of two years had taken their toll.

A sudden light faintly illuminated the tent. Troy was startled briefly, before relaxing at the sound of crackling.

_ Frederick must have started a fire,  _ they thought. 

They sat up and rubbed their eyes. They knew they didn't need to get up yet, but they weren't sure they could get back to sleep. They weren't sure if they wanted to go back either. 

They began to get up, when a slight rustling came from behind them and a groggy voice said, "Troy? What are you doing up this early?"

Troy turned back and immediately softened. A half-awake Cordelia was watching them through bleary eyes. They sat back down and ran their fingers through her matted hair. 

"Nothing, love, go back to sleep. I'm just going to see if Frederick needs help with breakfast," they assured her. 

“I’ll get up too then. I could finish sorting the armory before-” 

Troy knew what was coming. “Hush now, sweetheart. You and Miriel were up for hours sorting the armory. Stahl and I practically had to drag you two to bed.”

Cordelia huffed. “But what if-” Troy stopped her again.

“No buts, Cordelia. You’ve been running yourself even more ragged than usual since we got to Valm. You need rest, at least just for today.” 

She sighed, and gave a tired smile. “For you, dear. If you’re sure you’re okay. You’d tell me if something was wrong, right?” 

Troy felt a pang of guilt in their stomach. “Of course I would. I love you.” 

“I love you too, darling.”

They continued stroking her hair as she put her head back down on her pillow. Once Troy was sure she was asleep, they pressed their lips to the side of her head. They put on their coat and boots, grabbed their sword, and walked out of the tent. 

They weren't sure if what they saw was a dream or not, and that uncertainty was the very problem. It was just as vivid as the vision they had before they met Chrom, though it was different. It was less coherent, a series of events, rather than just a single unfortunate one.

An abandoned city taken back by nature. A burning school, children, adults, and what looked to be demons fighting to put it out or escaping with their lives. A twisted town, air thick with dust and fungus, beasts worse than any Risen around every corner. The only constant was four strangely dressed people who Troy swore they had never seen in their life, yet they all seemed familiar. Too familiar.

“Good morning, Troy. Please don’t step in the fire.”

Troy was startled out of their thoughts by Frederick's voice. Looking down, they saw how close to the flame they really were. Gods, they were second only to Miriel in distractedly walking into danger. Despite the damper it put on their and Morgan’s antics, they were secretly thankful for Frederick’s constant watchful eye. 

"Many thanks, Your Wariness,” Troy playfully jabbed, taking a seat next to him.

Frederick was silent, simply holding out a stick with a piece of bread stuck on it. Troy was confused for a moment, before noticing Frederick holding his own stick with bread on the end over the fire. They mimicked him, finally getting it. They wondered how it never crossed their mind to roast bread.

They sat quietly, merely enjoying each other’s company. As they watched the sun slowly rise in the horizon, Frederick broke the silence. 

“What got you up so early?” He asked. “When I checked on you last night, you were still waiting for Cordelia, and you were my last stop before I retired.” 

Troy froze, the bread halfway into their mouth. They weren’t sure how to answer. Well, that wasn't true. They knew exactly how to answer. They just didn't know if Fredrick would like their answer. Troy thought to deflect the query, but they knew that wouldn’t work. They could think of a thousand lies, but not one would fool him. This called for drastic measures.

They stood up and walked away without saying anything. Frederick frowned, more than a little put out at what seemed like an easy question being so rudely ignored. Troy knew they would have to avoid Frederick for the rest of the day, but they weren’t ready to disclose their vision, especially not to him. 

Troy wandered among the rows, eventually finding themself in front of their daughters’ tent. Hearing nothing, they peered inside. Seeing both girls still asleep, they couldn’t help but smile fondly. Severa was so high strung it was a wonder she could sleep in the same room as another person, let alone an eccentric prankster like Morgan. The girls hadn't gotten along much at first, but Severa had certainly warmed to her baby sister, not that she'd ever admit it. With any luck, the war would end soon, and Troy would be able to have actual children with Cordelia. They somewhat dreaded seeing how Severa of this timeline would develop. They hoped her misery and brattiness were a result of being raised during a war and then suddenly abandoned, but with a proper upbringing, she would be much happier and more well-adjusted. Morgan, however, Troy hoped would turn out exactly the same, if slightly less malicious. Slightly.

Breaking themself of their reverie, Troy stepped out of the tent. They headed a short ways away from camp to the bottom of the hill they had they had all settled on. Unsheathing their sword, Troy began to train.

As they went through their exercises, Troy's mind began wandering again, eventually landing back at their strange dream. They briefly toyed with the possibility that what they had seen was truly a vision of things to come. They couldn't place either the locations they had seen or the people they had been with, much like the vision they had of Chrom and Validar. It was becoming increasingly apparent that this new vision may be a similar warning.

Troy thought of what this might mean, both for them and for the Shepherds. They hadn't seen any of the others at any point in the visions, and were unsure if they would be present at any point. 

_ Because they'll be dead. _

Troy tensed up at this prospect. Surely not. They would sacrifice themselves in a heartbeat if it meant protecting their comrades. Yet, they couldn't help but wonder. Why else would they all be absent, with four strangers in place of them? 

Troy stamped out that thought as quickly as possible, refusing to let such errant worries plague them before midday. Their comrades were okay, Cordelia and the girls were okay, and Naga as their witness, Troy would keep it that way. 

Troy leapt into the air and plunged their sword into the ground, but they failed to land properly and grunted as their knees buckled. They righted themself and pulled their blade from the ground, putting it back in its sheath. They stretched their slightly sore limbs, when a light cough caused a hot wave of embarrassment to wash over them.

_ Of course someone had to see that, _ Troy thought in frustration, as they turned to see none other than Libra.  _ And of course it had to be him. _

“Naga be with you this morning, Troy,” Libra greeted, the same way he did everyday. They relaxed, if only slightly, upon hearing his voice. His gentle demeanor and piety had a calming effect on them. "What is the matter?" But he could also read them like a book. 

"Thank you, but it’s nothing. I must just be having an off day." They mentally kicked themself. That might've been the weakest lie they or anyone else ever told. 

As expected, Libra didn’t buy it. “I have seen you execute that move enough to know you shouldn’t be making mistakes.” Troy’s skin began to itch and tingle uncomfortably. “Your wellbeing affects everyone.” Their sweaty hands fumbled with the edges of their coat. “As a comrade and your friend, please tell me what’s wrong.” Tears pricked the corners of their eyes.

Troy felt their chin quiver and heard their voice quaver. “W-well, last night, I-I, when we slept I mean, I h-had or-or I saw I think-” 

Libra held up a hand to save them from their own stammering. “Please, Troy. Breathe, think, then speak,” he implored. "Breathe in, count to four, hold it and count to seven, then breathe out and count to eight."

Troy did as instructed.  _ Four, seven, eight.  _ They breathed once, twice, three times. Their head cleared, and their shoulders untensed. 

“Better?” Libra asked. “Enough to tell me at least?”

“I’m not sure where to start,” Troy admitted, thankful their voice sounded normal. “A lot has happened already today.”

“Start from the beginning.” 

And Troy did.


	4. Heat

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> While a number of different diagnoses constitute anxiety disorders, the symptoms of generalized anxiety disorder will often include the following:
> 
> -restlessness, and a feeling of being “on-edge”  
> -uncontrollable feelings of worry  
> -increased irritability  
> -concentration difficulties  
> -sleep difficulties, such as problems in falling or staying asleep

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Guess I'm a fucking liar whoops

**The Boiling Isles**

Troy Evergreen retched into the toilet again. They weren’t quite sure how long they had been at it, but they were dry-heaving at this point, so it had been long enough. They sat back and checked their scroll. 7:55. Troy groaned, partially in pain and partially in frustration. 

_I hate test days._

As much as Troy wanted to lie on the floor and just die, they had to get to school. They got up and glanced in the mirror, mirthlessly chuckling at the sight.

Their face was red and tear-streaked, hair sweaty and stuck to their face, flecks of dry bile stuck to the corners of their mouth. Troy almost considered going to school like that. 

_You really want to look like shit in front of him?_

Troy quickly cleaned up and headed to their room to grab their bag. They noticed their textbook from the night before was still open on their desk. Troy closed it and swung around to put it in their bag, but in their haste, accidentally knocked a bottle of blue potion off the desk. 

“Fuck!” Troy yelled, as the bottle smashed on the wooden floor and the liquid spilled. “Titan-fucking-dammit!”

Troy slammed the side of their fist into the wall, almost beginning to cry again. That was their last bottle. They would have to survive to the end of school to get more. They threw their bag over their shoulder and rushed downstairs.

Troy made it outside and kept running down the path. Their scroll said it was 8:01, so if they stayed at this pace they would make it to Hexside on time. Half-dead, but on time. About thirty seconds later, they were leaning against a tree. Long-distance running still wasn't their thing.

-

"Eda, wait!" Luz called out as Eda flew them to Hexside.

Eda's staff jerked to a halt. "What, did you forget something?" She asked, already turning back towards the Owl House.

Luz shook their head, pointing down towards the ground. Eda followed their gaze and saw a teenager in a Hexside uniform trudging through the trees.

Eda sighed. It was five after eight, they didn't have time for this. "What about 'em?" 

"That's Troy, they're in Illusions with Gus. You don't think they have a way to school, do they?" Luz asked. They glanced sidewards at Eda with their eyebrows raised. Eda sighed, taking the hint.

"Fine, fine, we can pick 'em up." Luz pumped her arm in victory.

Eda and Luz swooped down in front of Troy, startling them. Luz didn’t waste any time. 

"Hop on, Troy!" They ordered, scooting forward to make room. "There's only five minutes 'till the first bell!" 

Troy hesitated. Hovering thirty feet in the air with absolutely nothing to prevent them from falling wasn’t exactly their style. However, Luz was difficult to say no to. Plus, they’d appreciate the break. Troy shakily climbed on and they took off.

It was only a three minute ride, but it felt like hours. Troy couldn’t do much but hold on and hope to the Titan that a particularly stiff breeze wouldn’t knock them to a squishy death. Luz turned their head to try and make conversation, but seeing Troy with their eyes shut tight, teeth grit, and more than a little sweaty, they let them be. 

Troy felt the staff stop moving. They cracked an eye open, risking a glance at their surroundings. They had landed right in front of Hexside. Troy sighed in relief and slid off the staff. 

"That… was awful," they panted out. "Don't ever, _ever_ , make me do that again," 

"You get used to it after a few rides," Luz said, pulling Troy off the ground.

"I don't want to do that enough times to get used to it," Troy grumbled. “Thanks for the lift.”

“No problem kid,” Eda said. “See you when you get home, Luz.”

“Bye, Eda!” Luz chirped, wrapping their arms around their mentor. 

“Alright, alright, get to class kiddo,” Eda rolled her eyes and ruffled Luz’s hair.

Luz released their death grip and jogged to catch up with Troy, who had already headed for the steps up to Hexside. 

“So, big test today, huh?” They asked Troy, who flinched upon hearing the T-word. 

“Ayup,” Troy answered. “Technically, I should have Abominations today. I’d rather have Abominations, but the fun of multi-tracking is that you can constantly go fuck yourself when it comes to scheduling. Did Gus tell you?” Luz nodded.

“I’m guessing you’re not prepared.” Luz remarked. It was a joke, but they both knew it was true.

Troy sighed. “Hell no. I don’t think I’ve studied for anything in about three years.”

Luz laughed. “Felt that. Back home, I had crappy test scores. Studying was just never my thing. Still, it’s not like flunking one test will hurt you that bad.”

Troy thought for a moment and shrugged. “S’pose not. I need the attendance though, I’ve missed too many classes as is. I don't need to start skipping tests.”

“Uh-huh. You say it’s class you’ve missed,” Luz said, narrowing their eyes and putting their thumb and forefinger to their chin.

Troy's eyes narrowed. They knew what was coming. “Don’t even start.”

“But is it mayyyybeeeee...” Luz fluttered their eyelashes.

“Shut up.” Troy scowled.

“Could it beeeeeee…” Luz interlocked their fingers and rested their chin on their hands.

“You’re gonna be fertilizer for Herbalism.” Troy raised their spell hand threateningly.

“Do you miss Eeeeeeeeedriiiiiiiiic?” Luz wrapped their arms around Troy’s shoulders.

“I fucking hate you.” Troy pushed them away.

Luz winked. “Come ooooonnnnn, you gotta tell him one of these days.”

“I don’t gotta do shit,” Troy snapped. “Lay off.”

But Luz didn’t lay off. “Poor widdle Edric is all alone, nobody to tuck him in at night like Tristan and Emira have,” they said, mockingly sticking out their lower lip. “If only there was someone out there who loved him. Oh wait!”

Troy opened their mouth to growl another retort, but Luz suddenly ran ahead for reasons unknown to Troy. A yelp and a _thump_ cleared their confusion, as Luz was now lying atop a tomato-red Tristan. Troy nodded at Gus and Willow, who both waved back. 

“He was getting worried they’d never show up,” Willow said. Troy noted her smug grin. She always seemed to wear that grin when it came to Luz and Tristan. “It was kinda cute.”

“I was half-tempted to make an illusion of them but Willow said that was too far,” Gus piped up, some human trinket in his hands. It was a large grey brick with a yellowish-green square on the front, and the square had grey shapes moving across it. It had Game Boy written on the front. It seemed to be a toy, but Troy thought it looked more like a weapon.

“They stopped to pick me up. Fuckin’ nervewracking, flying on that staff,” Troy explained. “I don’t know how they do it everyday.”

Willow shrugged. “You get used to it.”

“Would you believe that’s not the first time I’ve heard that today?” Troy sighed, rolling their eyes.

“Troy!” Tristan called, briefly escaping Luz’s clutches. “I almost forgot, Ed was looking for you.” 

Troy’s eyes widened. Edric, looking for them? “Uh... did he say why?” They asked, pointedly ignoring the cheeky look Luz gave them.

Tristan shook his head. “At the time I figured he wanted to share notes for the test but he can do that with Em. I mean, you’re gonna see him soon, ask him yourself.” 

Right on cue, Edric and Emira, both with their signature grin and folded arms, emerged from the pack of students. They started talking with Luz and Tristan, but Troy couldn’t hear. Edric wanted to talk to them. Tristan was right, it couldn’t be about the test, so what was it? Was he gonna ask them out? It wasn’t strictly impossible, but it also didn’t seem likely. What else could it be though?

The bells’ screams rang down the hallway, drowning out conversation and sending everyone off. Luz, Willow, and Tristan bid their farewells and headed to their respective classes. Troy, Gus, and the Blight twins didn’t move from their spot as students filed past, some breaking off into the Illusions room. Troy glanced at Edric and Emira. They were arguing about something, Troy wasn’t sure what, but it looked very heated. Eventually, both threw their arms down, scowling, and Emira walked into the classroom, while Edric stayed outside. He sighed, looking over at Troy. He winked, and headed into the classroom as well. Troy blushed, feeling compelled to follow him. 

Mostly everyone was at their desks, and the professor started handing out the test papers just as Troy sat in their usual spot, one row behind and one to the right of Gus. Troy tried to look indifferent, but they were shaking. Written tests were the bane of their existence. Performance tests were easy enough, but there was always a sense of dread when they had to pick up a pen. When they received their paper, they scrawled their name on top and began reading the questions.

_Well, shit_.

-

"So?" Gus asked, as he and Troy left the classroom, heading for the cafeteria. 

Troy cocked an eyebrow. "So what?" They knew what he wanted, but they weren't gonna give up that easily.

"How do you think you did?" 

"Horrible," they scoffed. "You?"

"Don't say that, I bet you did great! It wasn't that hard, other than number seven. I don't know why we'd have a question on the first Illusionist, considering how hard it is to pinpoint the first user of any magic other than the Titan itself."

"Huh," Troy said, incredulously. "The Titan was my answer. I mean, that's technically right, isn't it?"

Gus rubbed his chin. "Maybe the first Illusion coven leader? Wouldn't that have been Belos though?"

"Belos is the leader of the bitch coven," Troy spat. “You hear he might be human?”

“I… hadn’t? Who told you that?” Gus asked, looking more than a little disturbed.

“Nobody, nevermind, forget I said anything,” Troy said, hastily backtracking. 

They finally reached the lunchroom and headed to their table, where Tristan and Willow were already seated. Luz was nowhere to be seen. Gus sat beside Willow, while Troy left a vaguely Luz-sized gap between themself and Tristan. 

“How’d your test go?” Tristan asked.

Troy twitched. “Don’t wanna talk about it. Your brother still hasn’t told me what he wants.”

“Funny, considering he usually can’t shut up,” Tristan said, contemptuously. 

Troy chuckled. “He’s lucky he’s pretty.” 

“Come again?”

It didn’t take long for Troy to realize what they just said. Wide-eyed, they turned to look at Tristan, whose face was a mixture of disbelief, bewilderment, and what seemed to be… amusement? Troy looked around the room, trying to find an escape, an excuse, anything, but nothing came. 

  
  


A clatter at the end of the table drew everyone’s attention. Luz had slammed down a crystal ball, and was standing proudly over it.

“i ganked this from the supply closet,” they explained. “Who wants a fortune?”

Troy saw their chance. “I’ll bite. What horrible way am I gonna die?" 

Luz sat down opposite of Troy, taking Troy's hands and placing them on the ball. Luz waved their hands over the ball, staring intently. Troy looked between the ball and Luz, waiting for something to come up. Gus, Tristan, and Willow had gathered around them as well. 

"I can see something!" Gus proclaimed.

An image was starting to appear. It was of a peaceful countryside, a dirt road alongside fields of vegetation stretching towards a bright blue horizon. There were a few figures walking in the distance, all getting closer.

"That doesn't look like anywhere in the Boiling Isles," Willow mused. "Where is that?"

Luz was dumbfounded. "It looks like _my_ home!" 

"What if-" Tristan started. "What if it is? What if that's Troy in the distance?"

Luz furrowed their brow. "But if that’s the human world, what does Troy have to do with it?"

Troy didn’t say anything. They had nothing to say. They just kept watching. They slowly became aware of a dull throbbing in the back of their skull.

“Hang on,” Willow said. “I can almost make out who that is."

_Thud_

"Is that… It can't be..." Tristan trailed off.

_Thud_

"Oh my god," Luz whispered.

_Thud_

"Troy, that's, that's…" Gus tried but failed to find the words.

_Thud_

Five people. All different ages, different heights, different skin tones -one was even blue-, different clothes from what seemed like different time periods or even different worlds. Yet, all their faces were exactly the same. All of them were unmistakably-

_Thud thud thud thud_

"Me."

-

_THUMP_

Troy suddenly fell off their seat, shivering, hands clutching their temples. Everyone rushed to their side, but no one was quite sure what to do.

“Should we take them to the nurse?” Gus asked, looking between the others. “We should take them to the nurse, right?”

“What if moving them makes it worse?” Tristan wondered.

“Do you have a better idea?” Willow hissed.

Luz silently watched Troy writhing. There were too many questions running through their head. Did they do this? Or was it something else entirely and the fortune was just a coincidence? Who were the people they saw in the crystal ball? 

“Luz!” Gus exclaimed.

Luz jumped. All eyes were on them. They looked back at Troy. They hadn't moved, merely shaking and twitching occasionally. 

"I don’t know, I don’t know, I DON’T KNOW!” They yelled, hitting their fists against their head. Tristan immediately put a stop to this, wrapping his arms around Luz.

“It’s okay, Luz, you’re okay, it’s gonna be okay,” he soothed, stroking their hair. “Willow, can you carry Troy?”

"Uh… sure," Willow said, slightly surprised by Tristan's change in attitude towards moving Troy.

Willow instinctively went to throw Troy over her shoulder like a bag of fertilizer. She quickly caught herself, remembering how Luz had scooped Tristan up after the Grudgby game. She carefully lifted Troy’s head and shoulders off the ground, reaching down and hooking her other arm under their legs. Willow was surprised at just how light they were. Gus, Luz, and Tristan were definitely skinny, but Troy was different, more fragile. Willow thought they might break apart if she held on too tightly. 

She stood up and turned back to see Luz quietly crying into Tristan's chest. "You two take them to the nurse," Tristan said. "We'll catch up in a minute."

Willow and Gus nodded and headed out of the cafeteria, ignoring the looks and questions from the other students. Gus stayed slightly ahead of Willow to make sure nobody was in the way. There weren’t many students walking through the halls, but Willow knew Gus was just as scared for Troy as she was. Troy wasn’t shaking as badly, but they still weren’t responding. Willow quickened her pace as best she could.

  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> That's how we do it in this house, bring you right up to the edge and stop for enhanced pleasure. Questions and comments are appreciated, I'll catch yall on the next chapter. Thanks


End file.
